Defense Strategies
NATO SNMG1 ships visit Germany
Ships from NATO’s Standing Maritime Group one (SNMG1) arrived in Warnemünde, Germany, for a scheduled port visit on April 28. The group is currently on a deployment to the Baltic Sea. SNMG1 has, during the past months, participated in several multinational exercises off the coast of Norway and Great
Royal Navy destroyer trains with Romanian Navy during Black Sea tour
Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyer HMS Daring departed Constanta, Romania, on April 27 after a two-day visit and exercises with the Romanian Navy. The Portsmouth-based warship visited Constanta for a routine port visit on her way home after supporting maritime security operations in the Persian Gulf. De
Russian reconnaissance ship collides with livestock carrier off Istanbul
Russian Navy reconnaissance ship ‘Liman’ collided with Togo-flagged livestock carrier ‘Youzarsif H’ north of Bosphorus, the Russian defense ministry has confirmed. Liman sank in the collision despite the crew’s efforts to keep the vessel afloat. The reconnaissance ship’s hull was breached below the
NATO standardizes underwater data communication
All members of the NATO alliance have, for the first time ever, adopted a recently-developed standard for underwater acoustic communications. The standard is called Janus and was developed by NATO Science and Technology Organization’s Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE). “This ma
Germany leases Romanian sail training ship for officer training
The German Navy has reached an agreement with the Romanian Navy to lease the sail training ship ‘Mircea’ as replacement for the ‘Gorch Fock’ which is tied to port for extensive repairs. German Navy Vice Admiral Rainer Brinkmann told reporters earlier this year that Germany was evaluating the possibi
ESPS Galicia prevents merchant ship from being pirated
Late on Saturday night during a European Union counter-piracy patrol close to the east coast of Somalia, EU NAVFOR’s Spanish flagship, ESPS Galicia, received a SOS distress call from the master of merchant ship, MT Costina, to say that his vessel was being attacked by a number of armed pirates in a
Future Russian Navy’s main warships mentioned in Moscow
On April 21st, the session of the Russian Defence Ministry Board has been held in Moscow under the leadership of the head of the military department General of the Army Sergei Shoigu. In his opening speech, the Minister of Defence stated that such multipurpose frigates as the Admiral of Soviet Union
USNS Kanawha replenished ESPS Galicia
Earlier this month USNS Kanawha replenished ESPS Galicia of EU NAVFOR Operation Atalanta at sea (RAS). Having sailed into the counter-piracy sea areas in the Gulf of Aden, the flag ship of Operation Atalanta, ESPS Galicia went alongside USNS Kanawha to replenish fuel and stores in preparation for he
South Korea joins anti-piracy drill in Gulf of Aden
A South Korean Navy ship already patrolling the Horn of Africa as part of an EU-led task force was sent to participate in an international anti-piracy drill that took place in the Gulf of Aden. The Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class destroyer ROKS Choe Yeong joined U.S., Japanese and Royal Navy warships i
German frigate and NATO flagship runs aground in Greece
German Navy frigate and current flagship of NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2 – FGS Brandenburg – ran aground on Monday morning while departing the port of Piraeus, Greece. The frigate collided with a jetty and sustained considerable damage. According to German media, FGS Brandenburg damaged her rudd
Germany pulls tanker from NATO group after engine failure
German Navy tanker ‘Spessart’ had to be towed home from UK waters after experiencing problems with its engine during the Joint Warrior drill off Scotland. The 40-year-old ship broke down on March 27 and the extent of damage is yet to be determined, German Kieler Nachrichten reported. Spessart withdr
Italian aircraft carrier leaves Mediterranean Sea operation
Italian Navy aircraft carrier ITS Giuseppe Garibaldi concluded its participation in the EU NAVFOR-led operation Sophia in the Mediterranean Sea. The carrier stepped down from its duty as flagship of the mission on April 4, some six month after joining the group. During its time spent with operation
German, Swedish Navy in cat and mouse games off Swedish coast
Only weeks after visiting her Swedish Navy counterparts from the Royal Swedish Navy’s 31. corvette squadron, German Navy corvette FGS Ludwigshafen am Rhein joined six Swedish ships for a series of maneuvers and drills. In one of the drills, Ludwigshafen am Rhein was to try and enter Swedish coastal
US, France, UK forces hone amphibious skills off Djibouti
Ships and personnel from U.S., UK and France have kicked off the two-week multilateral amphibious exercise Alligator Dagger 17. The drill is taking place in international waters off the coast of Djibouti and in the vicinity of Djibouti and Arta Beach, between April 5 and 20. Participating forces inc